How to Beat a Fitness Plateau

It’s easy to lose motivation, especially when you’ve been working so diligently to meet your goals.

It’s happened to all of us. You’re determined to get the body you’ve wanted your whole life, whether that be through weight loss, muscle gain or a changed diet, when your progress suddenly comes to a screeching halt. You’ve reached a fitness slump or fitness plateau.

It’s easy to lose motivation, especially when you’ve been working so diligently to meet your goals. Don’t let all those hours at the gym or winding down health food store aisles go to waste. Instead, get over your fitness slump with some of our tips and tricks!

So what’s the deal?

After our bodies become accustomed to a certain workout routine, we often experience “metabolic adaptation.” This occurs when we’ve trimmed weight or fat and no longer need the same amount of calories to perform vital everyday tasks, like pumping blood. Our metabolism slows to adjust for this change and causes the dreaded fitness plateau. Don’t panic just yet – it’s not as bad as it sounds and your plateau can be conquered.

Shake up your workout routine

Try a workout that boosts your metabolism, like strength training. You won’t bulk up instantly, contrary to popular belief. Maintaining a toned and capable physique requires lots of dedicated work. Strength training is incredibly versatile and can be adapted to almost any individual.
Unlike cardio, strength training encourages the body to burn calories all day. When you tone and train your muscles, they continue to use caloric energy even after you’ve finished your workout. Just remember to consult with your physician before starting a new workout regime and begin slowly to build your muscular endurance. If you’re looking for more information on strength training, read through our article on its benefits.

Adjust your diet continually

Don’t forget diet, whether that means adding calories or cutting them. For every 20 pounds you lose, your body requires anywhere from 100-200 calories less than it did before. It can be easy to let your diet fall to the wayside when you’ve been working hard at the gym. To beat cravings, take a look at some of these helpful pointers.

Consider cutting dairy. Studies suggest that cutting or limiting dairy in your diet has a whole host of benefits including weight loss and clearing acne.

Try new foods. A plateau in muscle gain may be due to missing or insufficient nutrient intake, especially if you’re used to making the same meals.

Bulk up. If you’re attempting to gain lean muscle or you’ve recently increased your workout regimen, you’ll need to alter your diet accordingly. Without the proper fuel, you won’t see as many changes.

It’s important to remember that a plateau doesn’t necessarily mean you need to workout more or eat less. Eating more can jumpstart a nutritionally deprived metabolism and giving your body time to rest could allow your abdominal muscles to finally make their proud debut.